Local Focus: Urban Coffee Lounge Guided by Zeal for Everything Espresso

SOME PEOPLE people are lucky enough to discover early on what they love to do.

Alicia Miner, owner of the in Kirkland’s Juanita Village, is one of those people.

When she was a teenager, her parents bought the coffee stand on Finn Hill by the QFC. She and her sister ran it. “But we didn’t know what we were doing,” said Alicia. “It wasn’t super successful, but it was lots of fun.”

It may not have been the booming business they had hoped for, but it was the launching pad for a lifelong love of coffee and life as a barista.

“Being a barista is something that you either love or you don’t,” she said. “I love it. I love giving people that joy in the morning. Something warm and comforting – something that they can’t get anywhere else. I love making coffee. There are so many ways to make it. I like making the next drink better than the last. I love how everyone wants it made just a little bit different and that’s okay with me – I love doing it.”

After the coffee stand, she went on to work as a barista at a dozen different shops, including major corporate chains and small, independent cafés. At one point, she tried to get out of the business by getting a job for the City of Renton, but she couldn’t help but work mornings at a café. “It was just what I loved, what I always went back to,” she said.

In 2005, she stopped fighting it. “I decided, why not just do this on my own?”

She and her husband Jeff bought a stand in Issaquah. “It wasn’t doing well, but I saw the potential and ended up growing the business 600 percent,” she said. “Eventually I had a manager there and I was looking for the next space.”

Two months after they moved to Juanita in 2007, they saw a vacant space in Juanita Village. The Urban Coffee Lounge was born.

Jeff is an architect, so with his vision and skill, the couple transformed the space into an urban oasis of pressed concrete, wood, metal, leather and stone. Modern lighting, comfy seating, clean lines and artistic details like designs in the concrete floor create a modern vibe with a comfortable feel. Jeff did most of the craftsmanship himself, giving the shop a true personal touch.

Alicia took charge of the bar and everything behind the scenes. “I guess I took everything I learned from those other places – what worked and what didn’t work – and that’s how I crated Urban Coffee Lounge” she said. “I loved the warm inviting atmosphere that small independent places could bring, but saw you needed structure and organization, which I got from the more corporate shops.”

SHE'S ALSO committed to high quality product, buying only the best coffee available, selling organic pastry and using the finest ingredients. “Everything we do is top notch. We could make more money if we didn’t,” she said, “but I wouldn’t be okay with it. I feel good about what we serve every day. And people appreciate it.”

The quality has not gone unnoticed. The shop is very popular, typically bustling with customers working on their computers, conducting meetings, chatting with friends, or just enjoying a much-needed break.

The staff has been recognized, as well. “We’ve had several baristas compete in local competitions and win,” she said. “We’ve gotten our name out for doing coffee the right way. We have some of the best espresso on the Eastside."

But Urban Coffee Lounge is also a community coffee shop. “People feel like this is their coffee shop and that’s cool,” says Alicia.

The shop offers a loyalty program in which customers can pre-pay an account and simply swipe a card each time they come in, eliminating hassle from coveted coffee stops. Members get a free coffee after every 10 coffee purchases.

“We make a real effort to learn what our customers are looking for and accommodate those needs,” Alicia said.

Urban Coffee Lounge features live music ever Friday evening from 7-9 p.m., offers gluten-free pastries and even hosted a dog costume party this past Halloween weekend. Alicia also anticipates doing more “cuppings,” or coffee tastings, as well as tea, wine and beer tastings.

What’s next?

“We’ve always wanted two to three shops,” she said. “My husband is itching to design another space, so we’ll see.”